I. What is Connotation?

I. What is Connotation?

A connotation is a feeling or idea that a word has, in addition to its literal or main meaning (the denotation). Often, a series of words can have the same basic definitions, but completely different connotations—these are the emotions or meanings implied by a word, phrase, or thing.

For example, “This clothing is affordable!” versus “This clothing is cheap!” Here, “affordable” sounds much better than “cheap,” because the word cheap also implies low quality.

 

II. Examples of Connotation

Connotation is an additional meaning for a word or phrase; thus, the examples are endless. As mentioned, many words will share the same literal meaning, but may connote different feelings or ideas. Below are several examples:

§  Stench, smell, aroma, scent, odor

§  Strong, tough, sturdy, hard

§  Proud, confident, arrogant, egotistical

§  Childish, childlike, young, youthful

§  Rich, loaded, privileged, wealthy, affluent

§  Broke, poor, impoverished

§  Frugal, economical, stingy, cheap

§  Tempting, attractive, interesting

§  Liar, storyteller, fibber

§  Independent, unfriendly, private, standoffish

Think of these words used in the similar conversations. For example, imagine the difference between describing someone as a “strong woman” or a “sturdy woman”: because of these words’ connotations, the first implies that she is strong emotionally, while the second implies that she is a sturdy physically. Now, apply these two terms to a table—a “strong table” and a “sturdy table” have essentially the same meaning.

 

III. Types of Connotations

Most of the examples above can be categorized as having either positive, negative, or neutral connotation, or sometimes both positive and negative, depending on how they are used.

a. Positive

A word whose connotation implies positive emotions and associations. For example, “the aroma of my grandmother’s cooking” produces a positive association, because the word “aroma” implies that the smell is pleasing and inviting.

b. Negative

A word whose connotation implies negative emotions and associations. If we exchange the adjective “aroma” in the above sentence so that it now reads “the stench of my grandmother’s cooking,” the meaning changes completely. Though both “aroma” and “stench” mean smell, “stench” has a negative connotation; thus, the meal sounds much less appealing.

c. Neutral

A word whose connotation is neither positive nor negative. For example, when speaking about a pet, the word “dog” has a neutral connotation; but, the word “mutt” has a negative connotation, and the word “purebred” has a positive connotation.

 

IV. Importance of Connotation

Most words have two meanings: a denotative (literal) meaning, and a connotative (implied) meaning. It is important to note that not all connotations are solely positive or solely negative—depending on how a word is used, it can connote different things. Thus it is one of the most critical things to consider when it comes to word choice, in both literature and everyday conversation. In fact, the feelings or meanings associated with words can be everything. Connotations set the tone when writing and speaking, and clarify one’s intentions —they can elicit certain emotions or reactions or help to provide distinct impressions of things. Conversely, choosing words with the wrong connotation can produce an undesired reaction or emotion and misrepresent one’s intentions.

  

VI. Examples of Connotation in Literature

Example 1

In The Lord of the Flies, the boys infamously use a conch shell as a tool for order; whoever holds it is allowed to speak. However, as the story progresses, the conch begins to stand for more than the right to speak:

He held out the conch to Piggy, who flushed, this time with pride.

‘You must carry it’

‘When we’re ready I’ll carry -‘

Piggy sought in his mind for words to convey his passionate willingness to carry the conch against all odds.

As can be seen from the selection above, giving the conch to Piggy implies that he is being given leadership—a positive connotation. Eventually, though, the conch gains a negative connotation, an even stronger meaning for whoever possesses it: power. Holding the conch means holding the power; thus when it is broken, no one has a voice, no one has power, and things inevitably fall apart.

 

VII. Related Terms

Denotation

While connotation is a word’s implied meaning or feeling, a denotation is a word’s literal meaning; its definition. The two are directly connected; a word’s connotation is essentially a positive or negative extension of its denotation. To understand a word’s denotation is to understand its basic definition.

Double entendre

A double entendre is a word or phrase that has two meanings; usually one obvious and one subtle. It is a way of saying something so that it can be understood in two different ways, which makes it a very popular tool in comedy. A typical comedy routine on television might involve parents who create a double entendre so that their kids don’t know what they are talking about—for example, “Mommy needs her medicine” really means “Mommy needs her wine.” The difference between a double entendre and a connotation is that a double entendre is usually an assigned meaning, while a connotation is an implied meaning.

Homonym

A homonym is a word that is spelled one way but has two meanings. For example, “race” as in a race of people, and “race” as in a running competition, likewise, a tree has “bark” and a dog makes the sound “bark.” A homonym is different than connotation because the words’ literal, denotative meanings are different; the words solely share the same spelling.

 

VIII. Conclusion

In conclusion, connotation can be everything in language. It gives further meaning to words and phrases, creating positive and/or negative implications for words that have the same principal meaning. Without connotations, language would be much more limited, stagnant, and inflexible—in other words, boring!

 

How to use Connotation

Connotations are basically present in every sentence that we hear, write, and speak. Therefore, words are essentially chosen based on their connotation. When writing or speaking, a word’s connotation should help set the tone as positive or negative, and should be selected with its implications in mind. The most important thing when choosing words is intention, and they should be selected based on the answer to the question, “what feeling do you want to convey through your words?” For instance, the word “thin” can be expressed in different ways: imagine a friend saying, “WOW, you’re so slender, you look amazing!” versus “oh my God, you’re so skinny, do you ever eat?” The first use of “slender” has a positive connotation, implying that you look great, but the second word “skinny” has a negative connotation, implying that you look sickly.

 

When to use Connotation

Proper word choice is essential when it comes to speaking and writing. Certain situations may call for words with a positive connotation, i.e. when a manager is praising an employee; while others may be better served with words carrying negative connotation, i.e. when a manager is reprimanding an employee. Connotation sets the tone, and using one word or another can seriously alter a sentence’s meaning or tone. Read the following two sentences:

“The woman slammed the door behind her, threw her bag on the floor and slumped into a kitchen chair, where she poured herself a much-needed glass of wine.”

***

“The woman closed the door behind her, hung up her bag and perched herself in a kitchen chair, where she poured herself a well-deserved glass of wine.”

 

The first sentence uses words with negative connotation—slammed, threw, slumped, much-needed; giving the feeling that the woman had a difficult day. The second uses positive and neutral—closed, hung up, perched, much-deserved—giving the feeling that the woman had a long but successful day. As can be seen, choosing words based on their connotation can make for two very different tones. The words you choose to describe the beauty of a paradise should connote positive images (as does the word “beauty here), but those describing the gloom of a slum require should connote negative images (as does the word “gloom”).

 

Examples of Words with Strong Connotation (Positive or Negative)

1. Chicken-while this literally refers to an animal, it is a term used to describe someone who is a coward.

2. Retarded-while this literally means slow or "slowed," it is a highly negative term for someone who has a mental handicap.

3. Mutt-while this literally refers to a dog of mixed-breed, it has a negative connotation when used to refer to a dog, and an extremely negative connotation when used to refer to a person.

4. Addiction-one of the literal definitions of "addicted" is to be "devoted" to something, but "addiction" has a negative connotation when used to describe someone's affinity for something.